Soldier Hollow to host major juniors’ competition mid-January

Soldier Hollow will host the Super Qualifier/Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) Ute Invitational Jan. 16 to Jan. 19. This is an FIS-sanctioned event that according to Luke Bodensteiner, chief of sport development for the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, will determine who competes in the Junior National Cross-Country Championships.

“This is probably the biggest participation event that we have all year,” he said. “It's about 800 junior racers from across the western United States who are in the process of qualifying themselves for the Junior National Championship, which will also happen at Soldier Hollow in March.”

Bodensteiner said crews are busy buffing the racecourse which is closed for now.

“The race section has massive piles of snow on it,” he said. “We haven't pushed those out yet so those are still closed but we have probably 85% or 90% of the trails [open].”

Skiers ages eight to 20 are eligible to compete in classic, freestyle and sprint races. The length of a race depends on the age group.

“We have categories going all day, all the way down to U-10s, [racers under the age of 10],” he said. “So, some real little kids out here doing some short races and getting that exposure to really, some of the fastest up-and-coming racers in the country.”

In addition, Soldier Hollow is open daily for tubing, cross-country rentals and lessons. The center also offers night skiing from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. The second race in the weekly Night Lights series is Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

It’s free to enter the weekly series but a daily or season pass is required. Bodensteiner said a Skiathlon will be featured this week which includes one lap of classic and one lap of skate skiing on a 2.5km course. There is a mandatory, ski, pole and boot exchange between the two laps.

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